Three to watch, one to avoid for NASCAR's Clash exhibition race

A few short months removed from Team Penske's Joey Logano winning his third Cup Series title at Phoenix Raceway, NASCAR returns with the Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium on Sunday night (8 p.m. ET, Fox, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Last season, it was Joe Gibbs Racing veteran Denny Hamlin in victory lane after winning at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. With a new venue that brings the sport back to its roots and a much better forecast compared to 2024, there is a lot of anticipation ahead of the Cup Series' first stop at Bowman Gray since 1971.

Here are three drivers to watch and someone to avoid altogether.

Joey Logano, Team Penske No. 22 Ford

No one in the garage has more momentum than Logano coming into 2025. Despite all the criticism of his most recent title, Logano comes into the 2025 season as the 2022 winner of the Clash at the Coliseum.

While that track was put together inside a football stadium, it was a flat surface, much like Phoenix Raceway, where Logano has won multiple titles. 

Logano seems to have found a way to be in contention to win at these tracks, which should bode well on Sunday night.

Ryan Blaney, Team Penske No. 12 Ford

Much like his teammate, Blaney has excelled on shorter tracks in recent years. That was on full display last year with wins at Iowa Speedway and Martinsville Speedway, which punched his ticket to the championship race.

Assuming the performance stays the same, expect Blaney to be in contention throughout the race.

Sleeper: Ryan Preece, RFK Racing No. 60 Ford

Preece heads into the 2025 season as the newest driver for RFK Racing. After a three-win 2023 campaign for Chris Buescher, driver/co-owner Brad Keselowski picked up the team's only win of the season at Darlington in 2024. The entire organization did not have a good run at the LA Coliseum, but this is a traditional short track and a new season for the expanded three-car operation.

Although Preece's tenure with Stewart-Haas Racing — rebranded as Haas Factory Team for the 2025 season — had several bumps, one of his bright spots was short tracks. Preece picked up a pair of top 15s at Martinsville and has shown pace throughout his career on the shorter flat tracks.

If RFK Racing can get a slight uptick in its short-track performance, Preece's short-track roots could pay dividends and put him in the mix on Sunday night.

Avoid: Kyle Busch, Richard Childress Racing No. 8 Chevrolet

Coming off the first winless season of his 19-year career, it would not be surprising at all to see Busch bounce back this season. After all, he is a two-time Cup Series champion and driving for an organization that has won six championships.

Despite that, the 2024 season was one to forget for Busch and RCR. Aside from a runner-up in last year's Clash at the LA Coliseum, Busch did not finish better than 10th at any of the remaining short tracks the circuit visited.